In contemporary battery operated control systems current drain on the battery can significantly impact a product's usefulness. In a class of battery operated control systems that need to acquisition various information by interpreting input signals, the current drain associated with the signal acquisition can be significant. This is because to reduce effects of external noise on an input measurement, the load impedance of the input circuit must be kept relatively small. Keeping the load impedance of the input circuit relatively small prevents electromagnetic interference from appearing like an input stimulus.
The problem with creating such a relatively low input circuit load impedance is that it requires a relatively high amount of power to operate--and thus creates a significant drain on the battery. Furthermore, such battery operated control systems typically have control circuitry coupled to the input circuit for acting on input stimulus. This control circuitry also can consume significant amounts of energy from the battery.
What is needed is an improved apparatus for minimizing input measurement circuit and control circuit current drain in a battery powered data collector.